Saunas, cuddly toys and new bonds - inside the Lions' Algarve den
"Tell them what you said about me," Ellis Genge teases Finley Bealham as the Englishman sits down for an interview at the British and Irish Lions training base in Portugal."I said you were the best looking, with the best chat," Bealham fires back, before the two props embrace.Three days into the Lions camp and already the bonds are being forged."It was a bit strange when we first turned up, I've said some really horrible things to a few of them on the pitch," Genge tells the Rugby Union Weekly podcast."But what a group of boys. I am really enjoying being around them. Finlay, he's a tighthead [Genge's opposite number]. But we are getting on like a house on fire. What a great bloke - a very funny character, right up my street. That's the beauty of rugby."It's weird, the battle of attrition you have been through over the last few years, playing against them, and trying to hit lumps out of them."Then you come here and get on really well with them."
It's a busy scene at the Lions training complex in Quinta do Lago as the players mingle after a gym session.England flanker Henry Pollock is tightly clutching BiL, the Lions mascot which is his sole responsibility as the youngest member of the touring party.Huw Jones is going through an individual routine with one of the Lions conditioners as the Scotland centre recovers from a niggling Achilles problem.Ireland's Bundee Aki shares a joke with English pair Elliot Daly and Jamie George, the trio reunited after they toured South Africa together in 2021.
Marcus Smith wanders over for a chat, mainly about how mutual acquaintance Danny Care is adjusting to life as a civilian.And with the players finished in the open-air gym, coach Johnny Sexton and head of performance David Nucifora nip in for a quick workout.Meanwhile, Genge speaks to us after a precise sauna session - "11 minutes a day, five days a week," he explains.Despite the relaxed atmosphere, the Lions are on the clock.Not only do they have to bond off the field, but on it they need to build cohesion before the clash with the world's fifth-ranked side Argentina in Dublin on 20 June.And this is without 15 players from Leinster, Bath and Leicester, who are preparing for domestic finals this weekend. In fact, five weeks after naming his squad, head coach Andy Farrell has yet to have his whole touring party in the same room."Nothing is going to be perfect on a Lions tour," explains assistant coach John Dalziel."The crazy nature of the schedule; the travel; there will be injuries thrown at us. We have just got to be adaptable."This is what we wanted and we have to train that adaptability. That's what the Lions are about - we will move, we will adapt and we will have no excuses."Genge agrees: "We've got a lot to learn. On and off the pitch. But the expectation is to be a fast-learner, and that is what we are doing."The Lions have already had to reshuffle, with Zander Fagerson's calf injury opening the door for Bealham, and George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour joining to bolster training numbers.Now Farrell and the management face a nervous wait before the finalists head into camp on Sunday, with Dalziel confirming some players will be asked to turn around six days later to face the Pumas."The Lions are going to play three games in a week. If we can't turn around in seven days, then we won't be able to turn around in two or three," he adds."Everyone will be available, hopefully safe and sound on Sunday, and ready to go."
For a first-time tourist like Wales' Jac Morgan, it's a chance to both make an impression and learn from back-row rivals."There is loads to learn, and I am looking forward to see how they all train, their habits and the extra stuff they do," Morgan tells Rugby Union Weekly."But also it's exciting to work as a back row and get the best out of each other. It will be great to learn from them and to play with them."And as one of only two Welshmen on the tour, Morgan knows he has a responsibility to uphold Wales' proud Lions traditions."There have been a lot of Welshmen in the history of the Lions; they are legends of the game," he adds."So it is a massive inspiration and hopefully we can make everyone in Wales proud."From Portugal, the Lions head to Dublin on Sunday before flying straight to Australia after the meeting with the Pumas.First stop down under is Perth, and the tour opener with the Western Force on June 28.It's all getting very real, very quickly.
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